Stuttering: Long Term Outlook

Contrary to many advertising claims, over the long term no treatment or product effectively cures stuttering, which is clinically known as dysphemia. In most cases, stuttering is a developmental disorder that a child outgrows as he or she reaches maturity, most often before the age of 16. Only about one percent of children continue to stutter as adults.

In the past, parents and teachers often ignored or trivialized the problem of stuttering in the belief that it would be outgrown. However, today we know that early intervention is beneficial in helping children to achieve fluency. Intervention also helps reduce or eliminate behaviors such as avoiding certain words, sounds, or opportunities to speak. These behaviors frequently result from the stigma associated with the disorder.

Although many treatments are successful over the short-term, stuttering relapses are common. Adults who stutter may need continuous support and treatment to maintain their level of fluency throughout their lifetimes. Moreover, the individual who stutters needs extra support and encouragement to maintain a feeling of control over his or her problem and refrain from adapting behaviors that inhibit his or her ability to communicate.

Continuing research on stuttering explores ways to identify the causes of stuttering and improve both diagnostic and treatment techniques. Some studies scrutinize the reasons why some children outgrow stuttering while others don’t. Others examine the similarities between individuals who stutter that may indicate a common cause for the disorder. Genetic research on stuttering searches for a hereditary link in families with multiple members who stutter.

Over the long term, the development of new treatments and improvement of current treatments depends upon the findings of these on-going studies and research into the causes and related behaviors associated with stuttering.